Gavotte
by Silverlilies
Summary: Kagome is just trying to get through college. Unfortunately, she has to smooth out her friend's love problems, keep her mind off her cute but conceited neighbor, put up with her Shakespeare quoting apartment mananger, and diet on instant ramen.


Disclaimer: Inu-Yasha and all its characters do not belong to me. They belong to the great Rumiko Takahashi. Obviously, I am not her.

**Gavotte**

Chapter 1: Of ramen and neighbors

"Whew!" Kagome Higurashi expelled her breath. "I never thought that moving would be this much work!" She told herself as she tucked her dark hair behind her ear. Her brown eyes surveyed the comfortable room proudly. Everything was neatly arranged. Not bad, considering that she had only gotten there five hours ago. Blowing a few strands of hair off her face, she gazed at the clock. It was one hour after noon. _Well, _Kagome thought to herself, _it is time for lunch. What do I have to eat? _She quickly opened a box her mother had packed for her. It was filled to the brim with packages of ramen noodle. O.o; Trying to force back a twitch of her eyebrow Kagome boiled some water and added it to the ramen. Just as she was about to start eating, someone knocked on her door.

"Come in!" Kagome called, thinking that it was her best friend Sango. To her surprise, she saw her new apartment manager, Miss Ruri Ogata.

"Sweet lady, ho ho!" Miss Ogata told Kagome in an overly elegant voice.

"Um, hello." Kagome said politely while mentally waging a war with her face to keep still. She could have sworn that Miss Ogata was quoting from Twelfth Night, a play by Shakespeare. That was the part where the butler in yellow stockings tried to court some noble lady. O.o

"I am so pleased to see you! I know that we will have a great time together! I cannot heave my heart into my mouth." Miss Ogata continued in her dramatic voice. She lightly ran a finger over her smooth black hair.

_What? Did she say that she cannot vomit? Wait, that was the part in King Lear (by Shakespeare) that the princess Cordelia proclaimed that she loved her father more than her sisters did. _Kagome thought, trying to keep from bursting into giggles.

"So," Miss Ogata asked, switching into a calmer voice. "How are you doing? Is there anything you need? Settling into Tokyo alright? Any complaints? I will do my best to take care of them."

"Oh, not at all! I love it here!" Kagome hastened to assure her apartment manager. "I'm really happy that my best friend is going to room in the same apartment building as me! This way, we can hang out whenever we want!"

"I'm glad you like it here." Miss Ogata told her smiling. "So, you'll be attending Chou University soon?"

"Yes, I got in on a scholarship. I plan on taking courses on creative writing and journalism." Kagome replied, warming up to the slender woman.

Kagome thought of her family with a pang of homesickness. She even began to miss her brother Souta's jokes and her grandfather's obsession with the occult. Heck, she even began to miss her sister Kikyo, who was five years older than her. Kikyo had gone to Chou University as well, and is now the owner of a successful business in Kyoto. From her last letter, she was angling for a merger with a huge company that will probably make her a millionaire. Kagome felt a familiar sense of envy. Kikyo had it all, beauty, brains, and a winning personality. In fact, the only good thing she saw about this was that she would have a back-up source of money. She'll be able to beg some from big sissy. She inwardly cringed. Kikyo was already paying for most of her living expenses. Any more and she'll spend the rest of her life in debt to her older sister.

Miss Ogata shook her out of her reverie by requesting the monthly bill. "It's eight hundred a month. You can pay it now, or later, it's up to you. Normally, I charge seven hundred fifty, but you got a room right under the penthouse, so it's a little more expensive. Sorry."

"I understand." Kagome answered, pulling out her check book. Yet another reminder of how much her sister was doing for her. Kikyo was putting a monthly deposit into her bank account. _Alright! I will pay her back, every last yen! As soon as I get a job…_

"Well, that takes care of everything. Feel free to come to me if you have any problems. See ya!" Miss Ogata waved and left her apartment.

Feeling much better about her next few years in Tokyo, Kagome sat down to enjoy her ramen. Unfortunately, someone knocked on her door. Opening it, she admitted her best friend Sango into the room.

"Hey!" Sango greeted as she entered the apartment. "Wow, your place is really orderly. My room is a rat's nest right now. All my designer tools are strewn everywhere, and I saw this really awesome view a while back that I plan on sketching. And…"

Smiling, Kagome neatly interrupted the would-be graphic designer and invited her to sit. The two friends chatted amiably.

"So, how's your new apartment? It's certainly bigger than mine." Sango asked.

"It's great! I think I can really get to like this place." Kagome answered.

"Oh yeah, before I forget, your sister got that merger she was aiming for." Sango informed her over a glass of orange juice.

"Lucky!" Kagome exclaimed wistfully. "How did you know?"

"My brother called me an hour ago and told me. Of course, he did it in a hurry, seeing as he had a date with Rin. Apparently, Kikyo called your parents and told them. You don't have a phone yet, so she couldn't call you."

"Kohaku finally asked Rin out?" Kagome questioned, intrigued. Last she saw of him, the fifteen-year-old was so shy he couldn't even talk properly in front of Rin.

"Yeah." Sango grinned. Despite being overprotective of her only little brother, she was very fond of the sweet little Rin.

The two continued to converse for an hour or so. Finally, Sango got up and said that she had to go. She still had some boxes to move. After Sango left, Kagome felt even better about her new life hear. With optimism, she started to heat her somewhat cold ramen. She never realized that her day was about to go downhill.

Just as she took her ramen out of the microwave, someone knocked on her door. Feeling a bit exasperated, she wondered if either Miss Ogata or Sango had forgotten something. Opening the door, her greeting died away. In front of her was an incredibly good looking guy. He had silver hair and golden eyes. Weird, yes, but it added to his charm. About to blush, he surprised by saying one word. "You."

He said it in a flat yet accusing tone. It was almost as if she had mortally insulted him or something. A bit taken back, Kagome retorted, "Excuse me?"

"EXCUSE ME! WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSE TO MEAN! I COULDN'T TAKE MY AFTERNOON NAP BECAUSE YOU WERE DOWN HERE THROWING A PARTY WITH YOUR FRIENDS AND THAT LUNATIC APARTMENT MANAGER! CAN'T A GUY GET SOME SLEEP AROUND HERE!" He screamed.

That snapped a nerve within Kagome. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN PARTYING? WE WERE PERFECTLY QUIET HERE! AND FOR YOUR INFORMATION, MISS OGATA IS NOT A LUNATIC. SHE'S A BIT ECCENTRIC, YES, BUT NOT INSANE. JUST WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, BARGING INTO SOMEONE'S ROOM LIKE THIS!"

It seemed that the guy was a bit taken back with this ferocious retort. He mumbled an apology and muttered something to the effect of him having sensitive ears. Kagome didn't hear, as she was raving about what a jerk this weirdo was. After a while, she quieted down. Taking a deep breath, she asked his name.

"Well, I'm Inu-Yasha, and I live in the penthouse apartment. Look, just keep quiet will you? I'd really like to get some sleep." He told her exasperated.

"I'm Kagome Higurashi. Nice to meet you." Kagome extended her hand, anger forgotten. Inu-Yasha just stared at her hand. "Well," she snapped, "If you're not going to be polite then scram! Sheesh!"

Raising an eyebrow sarcastically, Inu-Yasha walked out of the doorway. Kagome slammed the door shut, muttering about what a wretched person that freak was. She then reopened the door and walked down to the first level.

"Miss Ogata, can I switch rooms? That jerk living in the penthouse apartment is bugging me!" She asked.

"No can do. Sorry, but the whole building is filled. Yours was the last room available." Miss Ogata told Kagome, wiping her glasses.

Kagome stormed upstairs in a dark mood. What had gone wrong with the day! When she reached her room, she had another nasty shock. Her ramen had gone cold. Again. Screaming with frustration, she shoved the bowl back into the microwave, cursing the whole damn day.

To Be Continued…

Note: How is it? I'm not that sure about the pairings yet, so I'm open to suggestion. I named it Gavotte because gavottes are difficult to play. I swear, have you ever practiced one over and over on a hot summer day? Not only that, the violin strings kept popping. It's very frustrating. There's quite a bit of tension. Should I continue? Ta!


End file.
